Brenton Tarrant pleaded guilty in March 2020 to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and a terrorism charge, after initially saying he would defend the charges. But in 2022 he filed an appeal at the court of appeal, for both his convictions and his sentence. The court will consider whether the appeal can proceed because it was filed outside the legislated time frame to do so. Hawes said Tarrant had other options, including delaying his trial date on mental health grounds, or defending himself at trial. According to court documents, the court will be primarily considering the application to vacate the guilty pleas.

Source: The Guardian February 09, 2026 02:38 UTC